Toni Collette

Biography: A tall, vivacious Australian actress with a chameleonic ability to alter her appearance as the role dictates, Toni Collette shot to international fame at age 22 as the overweight but determined bride-to-be in P J Hogan's blackly comic "Muriel's Wedding" (1994). Auditioning for that breakthrough role, she proved to be one determined actress, announcing to writer-director Hogan "I AM Muriel!" and offering a strong audition. Hogan resisted casting her, though, because she was too thin. Like any actor who wants a role badly enough, Collette began a supervised diet, gaining over 40 pounds. Her efforts paid off as she earned worldwide critical praise. Like Minnie Driver (who underwent a similar experience with her breakthrough in "Circle of Friends"), Collette found that people had difficulty matching her svelte self with her onscreen persona. Gradually, through a series of fine performances in a variety of films, she has proven to be one of contemporary cinema's finest actresses. Collette offered a moving interpretation of the youthful version of the title character, an eccentric who was confined to an institution by her cruel father, in "Lilian's Story" and was suitably tough as an incarcerated drug addict who proves to have a sweet singing voice in the comedy "Cosi" (both 1996). The actress headed to America to play the girlfriend of one of David Schwimmer's high school buddies in "The Pallbearer" and then traveled to England to undertake the role of Harriet Smith, the sympathetic protege of Jane Austen's titular "Emma" (also both 1996) in Douglas McGrath's winning screen adaptation. Adding to her gallery of characterizations, Collette proved effective as a timid office worker who longed for more than the life of a temporary worker in the ensemble comedy-drama "Clockwatchers" and essayed a British detective trailing jewel thieves in "The James Gang" (both 1997). One of her oddest roles was as an Australian named Diana Spencer who identifies with the British princess of the same name in "Diana and Me" (1997). What was meant as a witty romantic comedy took on a frivolous triviality after the tragic death of the real-life Princess of Wales. Collette bounced back as the brassy bottle blonde girlfriend of an ex-con who gradually comes to doubt herself in the Australian drama "The Boys". She further proved her dramatic mettle as Mandy Slade, the American wife of a glam rock singer who recreates herself as a British party girl, in Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine" (both 1998), While she seemingly was all wrong for Mandy, Collette bravely threw herself into the part and delivered a layered and complex portrait of a woman who loses a part of herself when her husband's career comes to an abrupt end. Yet another unconventional role followed as she was cast as a nun who works in a brothel in Peter Greenaway's "8 1/2 Women" (1999).

The following list includes all known honours and nominations for Toni:

- 2005 GOTHAM AWARD (Nomination) - Best Ensemble Cast for Little Miss Sunshine
- 2005 SATURN AWARD (Nomination) - Best Actress for In her Shoes
- 2005 CHLOTRUDIS AWARD (Nomination) - Best Actress for Japanese Story
- 2004 GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARD (Nomination) - Best Actress for Japanese Story
- 2003 INSIDE FILM AWARD - Best Actress for Japanese Story
- 2003 FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA - Best Actress for Japanese Story
- 2003 AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE - Best Actress for Japanese Story
- 2003 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD (Nomination) - Best Ensemble for The Hours
- 2003 BRITISH ACADEMY AWARD (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for About a Boy
- 2003 GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARD (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for About a Boy
- 2003 TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL - Actress of the Year
- 2003 VANCOUVER FILM CRITICS AWARD - Best Supporting Actress for The Hours
- 2000 FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for Dirty Deeds
- 2002 BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS - Best Supporting Actress for The Hoursand About a Boy
- 2001 TONY AWARD (Nomination) - Best Actress for The Wild Party
- 2001 THEATRE WORLD AWARD - Outstanding Performance in a Broadway production for The Wild Party
- 2001 BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT AWARD (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for Shaft
- 2000 ACADEMY AWARD (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for The Sixth Sense
- 2000 BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT AWARD- Best Supporting Actress for The Sixth Sense
- 2000 GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARD (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for The Sixth Sense
- 1999 FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for The Boys
- 1998 AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE - Best Supporting Actress for The Boys
- 1996 AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE - Best Supporting Actress for Lilian's Story
- 1995 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD - Best Actress in a Comedy for Muriel's Wedding
- 1994 AUSTRALIAN FILM INSTITUTE - Best Actress for Muriel's Wedding
- 1992 SYDNEY CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD - Best Newcomer for Uncle Vanya
- 1991 AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE (Nomination) - Best Supporting Actress for Spotswood… Expand